The Return
by LandminesLandslides
Summary: Alex became the full wizard a year ago, but also decided to go to college and study art in Washington. Upon arrival, she recognizes someone at her university...someone who shouldn't be there. What will happen? Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

The Return

By LandminesLandslides

Chapter One

The Seattle University Campus sprawled out in front of twenty-one year old Alex Russo, who was seeing it for the first time. It had been tough to get in, given her less than spectacular performance in high school, but she had finally found a college that would take her. It hadn't been her first choice of places to study art, but no one else would take her. Given the circumstances, she considered herself lucky to get in here. The College of Arts and Sciences here did seem to be pretty competent, at least according to what she'd heard. She knew this was going to be hard, but she had matured a lot in the four short years since graduating from high school, so she hoped she would be able to deal. She looked down at the e-mail instructions she had printed out. According to these, she was supposed to go to the Casey building to meet her advisor, a woman named Alice Harmon. She was the dean of The College of Arts and Sciences and would help Alex get registered for her courses. She already had an idea of what she would be taking: English 120, Philosophy 110, and History 120. Had to get the core requirements out of the way before taking on the major requirements.

As Alex walked, she reflected on what it had been like to leave New York. Part of her had felt a little sad. It was the only city she had ever known and even when she'd complained, she'd loved it. She wondered how Justin was doing. He'd gotten into NYU on an academic scholarship, which had made sense given the fact that his study habits had been the polar opposite of her own. She knew she would have to work on that here. She was on a scholarship as well, which meant that she would have to keep up her grades or lose her chance. She pushed Justin out of her mind for the moment and focused on her walking. It wasn't like she couldn't go see him anytime she wanted. That was one of the beautiful things about having powers. Yes, she had powers. She had been the one to win the family competition, which had occurred last year. She had been as surprised as anyone. She had been studying for it for a while when it happened, but she hadn't expected it so soon. But in any event, she had come out victorious. Thankfully, Justin hadn't held against her. He had congratulated her and said she had earned her victory. She smiled slightly at the memory. She knew Justin could handle himself just fine without his powers. It was one of the things she had always admired about him, even if she had never admitted it.

Soon Alex came upon the Casey Building and walked through the large glass doors. Alice's office was on the fourth floor with the other faculty advisors. Alex immediately made her way for the elevator and pressed the call button. When it opened, she stepped inside and pressed the button for the fourth floor and waited for the elevator to start moving. After a few moments, she stepped out of the elevator and made her way confidently through another door. If she was reading this right, Alice Harmon's office should be around here. She went up to a desk where a girl was working reception. Judging by her clothing, Alex guessed she was a student.

"Excuse me," Alex said, calling the girl's attention to her, "I have an appointment with Alice Harmon."

"Can I have your name please?" the girl asked, barely looking up at her.

"Alex," Alex said, "Alex Russo." The girl typed something into a computer. Alex couldn't see her face to confirm it, but something about this girl seemed familiar. What could it be?

"She's available now if you want to go in," the girl said, breaking Alex out of her reverie, "Her office is that one." The girl was pointing to another door.

"Oh ok," Alex said, momentarily dismissing the feeling of familiarity as déjà vu, "Thanks."

"No problem," the girl answered back, "Better hurry." Alex nodded and entered through the door.

"Excuse me, are you Alice Harmon?" she asked the woman in the room.

"Yes I am," the woman said, "You must be Alex Russo."

"That's right," Alex said, "I'm here to register for classes." She handed the woman the list of the courses she wanted to register for this quarter. The woman appeared to look it over.

"All right," she said after a moment, "I can take care of this for you. Just one moment." Alex watched as Alice clicked something on her computer and a window opened. After that, she typed some keys and then turned to Alex. "Okay," she said, "You're registered for this quarter."

"Thank you," Alex said, "By the way, which way is it to Bellarmine Hall?" Alice reached into a drawer in her desk and produced a map. "Just follow this and you can't miss it," she said, "Is that where you're staying?"

"Yeah," Alex said, "I'm from out of town, so I had to get a dorm."

"That explains the luggage," Alice responded, looking at Alex's bags. Alex nodded and laughed before turning to leave. She could get to like it here. She made her way back to the first door she had come through, ready to take the elevator again. She passed the reception desk again and noticed that the girl behind the desk was staring at her. Suddenly, Alex was hit with a bolt of recognition. She did know this girl. She had definitely seen her before.

She walked out of the building calmly, trying not to let on that anything was wrong. Inside though, she was terrified. If what she was thinking was true, this was definitely not good. She looked at the map she had been given and hurried quickly to the Bellarmine Residence Hall. She quickly made her way up to the second floor, having spent most of the trip here memorizing her dorm number. She was glad that she had requested a single residence room, because the conversation that she was about to have was most definitely a private one. She set her stuff down next to the only bed in the room and then walked over to the desk with the phone on it. According to the brochure, phone and internet services were part of her residency fee. How convenient for her. She picked up the phone and began to dial the number of Justin's dorm room, hoping she could get his take on this. One ring, two rings, three rings. "Come on Justin, pick up," she muttered, "This is important." She breathed a sigh of relief when Justin answered. "I'm glad you're there," she said, "I need to talk to you. Now."

**A/N: End of the first chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. One note for fans of the Wizards of Waverly Place series: This fic is going to be a lot more serious than the series, so if you came looking for comedy you may want to read other fics.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Alex, I know what you think you saw," Justin was saying over the phone, "But what you're saying is impossible."

"Well, obviously it isn't because I know she was the one I saw," Alex said, "She looked older, but it was definitely her."

"She was frozen and shattered into pieces, Alex," Justin said, "No one survives something like that and no known wizard has been able to create a spell that brings back the dead."

"Well then maybe it's an unknown wizard," Alex said, "But I know that was Stevie."

"Well, there is one thing I can think of," Justin said, "You know how there's a realm of spirits in the wizarding world. The place where the ghosts are, remember?"

"Yeah," Alex said, "What about it?"

"I have a book on ancient magic," Justin said, "One of the spells in it described how to reach into that part of the wizarding world and draw back a spirit. But it takes an extremely large amount of magical power and if you don't plant the spirit in an artificial body within a matter of minutes, it'll snap back and all of the effort will have gone to waste."

"An artificial body?" Alex asked, "Like a golem?"

"Pretty much," Justin said, "But if that's really whats happened here, then we're dealing with someone who has incredible magic power. It would have to be a rogue wizard. That would also explain why no one has ever heard of this person. If all this is true, that person is probably on campus with you right now, staying under the radar."

"Well, there's only one way to verify any of this," Alex said, "I have to talk to her again."

"I'd be careful doing that," Justin said, "If it really turns out to really be her, then the fact that you recognized her becomes significant. The person could have planted her in any artificial body, yet they purposely picked one that looked like the Stevie you remembered. That means that the person knew who you were, that you knew Stevie and that you would be attending . So be careful. Don't take any unnecessary risks."

"Right," Alex said, "I'll be careful. Thanks Justin."

"Anytime," Justin said, "I have to go. Later Alex." Alex hung up the phone and pondered how shewas going to find the girl again. She didn't know what name she might be using and she couldn't make a scene in the Casey building. Her reverie was suddenly snapped by a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" she asked, turning towards the door.

"I'm Emily Mason," the voice said, "I'm the resident advisor for this part of the dorm. I just wanted to meet our new arrival."

"Alex Russo," Alex said, holding out her hand, "How'd you know I was here?"

"Word travels fast on this campus," Emily said, shaking Alex's hand, "So, do you need anything?"

"Yeah," Alex said, having a thought, "Do you know the name of the girl who works reception for Alice Harmon?"

"I think her name is Syliva," Emily said, "If you're looking for her, she usually goes and sits out by the Pigott building after she gets off the job. She should be out there in about an hour."

"Thanks," Alex said, "That's all I really need now."

"Okay," Emily said, "If you need anything else, come find me."

"Will do," Alex said, then watched as Emily left. She had passed the Piggot Building on the way to the dorm and remembered where it was. She didn't have any classes today, so she decided to go wait for the girl to show up.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Right on schedule, the girl showed up outside the Piggot Building. Alex had been waiting for a while. "Hey," Alex said, "You're name is Sylvia right? We met in the Casey building earlier."

" You don't have to pretend you don't know me," the girl said, "I know you recognized me, Alex." "So," Alex said, "It really is you Stevie. How about you explain what you're doing here?"

"Don't know," Stevie said curtly, "Not sure I would tell you if I did. I don't generally share information with people I can't trust."

Alex knew what Stevie meant by that. "You know I had to stop you," she told you, "What you were suggesting wasn't a revolution, it was just a violent grab for power."

"What's wrong with wanting powers?" Stevie asked, "They were mine. I was born with them. I shouldn't have been forced to give them up."

"Whatever," Alex said, "Frankly, the past doen't matter to me. Tell me, who was it who brought you back?"

"I honestly don't know," Stevie said with a smirk, "Why does it matter so much to you?"

"The person brought you back at the same university I now attend," Alex said, "Why do you think it matters?"

"Don't be so self-centered," Stevie said, "Just because I was brought back doesn't mean that it has anything to do with you."

"I don't believe in coincidences like this," Alex said, "If you know something you'd better tell me."

"Like I said, I don't know who it is," Stevie said, still smirking, "And I don't care. All I care about is that I'm back and I don't want to deal with anyone from before. Now why don't you just go away?"

"No," Alex said, "I can't ignore this."

"You're someone that I don't want to see," Stevie said, "Now return to your dorm and leave me be." There was a flash of light and the next thing Alex knew, she was back in her dorm room. Magic. Stevie had just used magic. How was that possible? She wasn't supposed to have powers. Alex had personally seen her lose her powers to Warren. Frantically, she thrust open the door but found that she couldn't leave. Some kind of barrier was keeping her in. That wasn't good. She had to call Justin. She grabbed the phone and dialed Justin's number again. "Come on Justin," she said, "Pick up." One ring, two rings, three rings. On the fourth, Justin picked up. "Oh good, you're there," Alex said, "I've confirmed it. It's her."

"So she's really back?" Justin asked.

"Definitely," Alex said, "I talked to her. She told me straight to my face."

"So where are you now?" he asked her.

"In my dorm room," she answered, "Stevie used some kind of spell on me to send me back here. Now I'm trapped inside."

"A spell?" Justin said, "You mean she has magic?"

"Without a doubt," Alex said, "It was a pretty powerful spell."

"Even so," Justin said, "It's probably a temporary spell. Barriers like that don't usually last for more than a half an hour."

"So I just wait?" Alex said, "Fine. I'll be able to see her again."

"Yeah," Justin said, "Be careful."

"I will," Alex said, "In the meantime, I need you to find something out for me. I need a list of the known wizards who have the kind of power necessary to pull off the spell you mentioned earlier."

"I can get that for you," Justin said, "But it's going to take time and there will be a lot of wizards."

"I'm hoping that I'll see a name I recognize on it," Alex said, "Maybe that'll tell me who's behind all this."

"All right, I'm on it," Justin said, "Don't do anything reckless."

"Yeah, I know," Alex said, "Thanks Justin." Alex hung up the phone and walked over to the bed, deciding to get some sleep for now.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Alex awoke to the sound of her alarm clock. Had she slept through the night? She had set her alarm for a little early, since today was the first day of classes. She needed a shower before class so she decided to go get one before they started filling up. She slipped off her shoes and socks, and then went through her bag for the robe she had brought with her. It took her a while but she found it. She grabbed her shampoo and conditioner as well, although the main purpose of this wasn't about washing her hair. She wanted to wash away the stress of this whole situation. She hadn't expected Stevie to be so angry with her. Sure they had clashed, but it had been seven years ago. Why couldn't Stevie just get over it?  
She went to the nearest bathroom and found the shower area. The bathrooms in the girls' part of the dorm were shared, but the showers were separated by curtains. She removed her clothes carefully and stepped into the newest shower, taking her shampoo and conditioner in with her. She turned on the hot water and stepped under it, letting the spray beat down over her shoulders. It felt pretty nice. She didn't have long, since she had to get ready and go to class in a couple of hours. It wouldn't be good to lose track of time. She took a deep breath and squirted some shampoo into her palm, then began to run it through her hair. When she finished up with that, she did the same with the conditioner. As soon as she was done, she turned off the water and stepped out, grabbing a towel that she had brought with her and drying off. After that, she put her robe on and gathered up her things and returned to her room.

Once inside, Alex went into her bags and looked for a change of clothes. She decided on a simple red T-shirt, a pair of Jeans and her green Converse shoes. Once changed, she gathered up her books. She had all of her classes today, which would be stressful, but she didn't have any tomorrow, which would be nice. She loaded the books into her backpack along with her notebooks and her binder, and then made her way to the Pigott building, where her Philosophy class would be meeting. Granted, she would be at least an hour and a half early, but she didn't mind. It would give her a chance to think before class. Naturally, her thoughts turned to Stevie. Could the other girl really hate her so much? Granted, she hadn't been expecting a hero's welcome when she went to talk to Stevie, but could she really be holding a seven-year old grudge? Alex knew it was possible of course. Her Aunt Megan still held a major grudge against her dad and that was over twenty years ago. Alex suddenly felt herself wondering if she had done the right thing back then. If wizard competitions led to situations like this one, maybe they really should have been abolished. It had been the wizard competition that had split apart her dad and Aunt Megan. Stevie had cut her ties to her own brother because of it, and in an indirect sense, what could have been a perfect friendship between Stevie and Alex had been ruined by it.

Alex pushed that line of thought out of her head immediately. There was no point in dwelling on something like that. She told herself that she knew she had done the right thing. Since she had spare time, she took her binder out of the backpack and took a look at her philosophy syllabus. They would be starting with _Five Dialogues_ by Plato, although today that wouldn't be doing any reading. It was an introduction day today. That was good in a way. Alex didn't need to add a huge workload to the stress of dealing with Stevie right now. If she was being honest with herself, something was bothering her about this. What kind of wizard would go to the trouble of bringing someone back from the dead and sticking at the same university as Alex? More importantly, that could that person's motivation possibly be? It didn't feel right.

Before Alex knew it, time had passed and the class that had previously been in the lecture hall was leaving. Alex waited for them all to be out before opening the door. She was the first one here with still an hour before class. She decided to take a seat at the back of the lecture hall. Since she had nothing better to do, she took out the Five Dialogues and began to read. The first one was called _Euthyphro _and it sounded kind of interesting. According to the introductory paragraph, Socrates was waiting outside of the local courthouse in Athens when he was approached by Euthyphro. The reading proceeded from that as a dialogue between Socrates and Euthyphro. Alex found the story quite interesting. Socrates was being charged with impiety by a man named Meletus. Euthyphro was at the courtroom to prosecute his father for the murder of a slave. Alex had to read that part of the dialogue a couple of times in order to properly understand it. Euthyphro really wanted to bring criminal charges against his own father over the death of a slave? Clearly, priests in Ancient Greece had a different conception of piety. Alex wasn't the religious type, but she still found the dialogue fascinating. The discussion of the nature of piety was especially interesting. Socrates certainly had a habit of asking questions and not being satisfied with the easy answer. Alex was impressed by that, especially since she herself had a history of trying to take the easy way out. She would have to try and be more like Socrates in the future.

Alex was so absorbed in the reading that she hadn't noticed someone else arrive. A slightly older guy had taken a position at the podium in front of the lecture hall. She looked up from her reading and smiled at him. "Are you Professor Johnson?" she asked.

"Yes I am," he returned with a smile, "What's your name?"

"Alex," she answered, "Alex Russo."

"Well Alex Russo," he said, "I'm glad to see that you're enjoying the reading."

"Euthyphro is really interesting," she said with a laugh, "Once I started I couldn't stop."

"Well, we'll be reading that one in class, so it's good to see that you're enthusiastic about it," he said. Alex wanted to say more, but the other students were starting to pour in. Class was about to start. She grabbed a pen from her binder and a notebook and labeled the front of it "Philosophy 110."

The class proceeded fairly quickly. She took a few notes, but the class was mostly an introduction to what the rest of the quarter would be like and how the class would work. Still, Alex was excited as she left the classroom roughly an hour later. Now it was time for her English Class. She tried to maintain an optimistic outlook, something that had been rare for her in high school. _Come on Alex, _she told herself, _you can handle this." _ She made her way out of the Pigott building to the Garrand building, where her English class would be held.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

The rest of Alex's classes went fairly well. English and History had been about the same as Philosophy, all though she had the feeling that Philosophy was going to be the most fun. Alex made the walk to the Bellarmine building and made her way back up to her floor. Once she located her door again, she took the key from her pocket and opened the door and walked inside. No sooner had she gotten inside then the phone began to ring. Instictively, she picked up the phone.

"Hello Alex," a voice said into the phone, "I see that you met your old friend Stevie." Alex shuddered. The voice was being masked, either by technology or by magic. But Alex was sure she had an idea of who it was.

"Are you the one who brought her back?" Alex asked, "What do you want?"

"What's the matter?" the voice said, "Aren't you grateful that I brought back your old friend?"

"What are you after?" she asked, "Why did you bring her back?"

"All in due time," the voice said, "Until then, enjoy your stay at the University." The person on the other end hung up. Alex glared and hung up the phone as well. She now knew something about the person behind all this: It had to be someone at the University. That was the only way they could have known the phone number for her dorm room. Since that phone number databse probably couldn't be accessed by students, it had to be University personnel. Someone who worked for Seattle University was a wizard and they had been the one to revive Stevie and bring her here. Alex was starting to have a picture of this person, but there were still too many people it could be. Even when she included the criteria that the person had to be someone who knew she would be coming to the University, there were too many people who would have access to that information. In fact, it was probable that any University staff member could find out who the incoming students were, so that didn't really narrow down her suspect pool at all. That meant she would have to rely on Justin's list.

Pulling her laptop out of it's case, she opened it up and waited for it to start up. She entered her password and immediately opened up the internet. She called up her e-mail client and immediately logged on. She saw that there was good news: Justin had e-mailed her. She opened the message and read the list. About halfway down, she spotted a name she recognized: Emily Moon, the resident advisor was a wizard and according to this list, she was powerful enough to cast the spell Justin had mentioned and as the resident advisor, she would know the phone number to Alex's room without Alex having to tell her. It wasn 't definitive proof, but Alex figured it merited a face to face meeting. Unloading everything except her room key, she made her way down the hall to Emily's room and knocked on the door. "Emily," she said, "It's Alex. Can I come in?"

"Sure," Emily's voice came,"Hang on, I'll open the door." When the door opened, Alex pointed her hand at Emily and said "Rainon Chainon." Chains wrapped wround Emily's body, causing her to fall to the ground. Alex looked around the room. It seemed pretty normal and didn't at all look like Emily had been up to anything evil in here. Still, Alex had to know.

"I know you're a wizard," Alex said, after making sure the door was shut, "I'm one too."

"I see," Emily said, making no attempt to deny the statement, "How did you find out?"

"Someone at this University brought someone I used to know back from the dead," Alex said, keeping her eyes focused on Emily, "That same person called me earlier in my room. I know that you're one of the wizards strong enough to bring back my friend and you're one of the few people who knew the phone number to my dorm. Care to explain?"

"It wasn't me," Emily said, "It's true that I'm a wizard, but I'm not the one who did that. If you don't believe me, check my left pocket." Cautiously, Alex knelt next to Emily and reached into her left pocket and pulled something out: A badge.

"Wizard Investigation Agenc y?" Alex asked after reading the badge, "You're an agent?"

"Yeah," Emily said, "I'm here because someone has been using illegal magic here. The spell you mentioned is probably part of it." Alex considered that story for a moment and then waved her hand, releasing the chains. "Sorry about that," she said, offering a hand to Emily.

"No it's all right," Emily said, taking Alex's hand and climbing to her feet, "You were right to be suspicious of me. You can never be too careful."

"So, do you have any idea who it might be?" Alex asked.

"Unfortunately no," Emily said, shaking her head, "But maybe there's something you can tell me."

"I only know a little," Alex said, "For one thing, the girl you thought was named Sylvia is actually named Stevie Nichols."

"I know that name," Emily said, "We have a file on her. She tried to start a revolution in the wizarding world seven years ago right?"

"Yeah," Alex said. She was a little surprised. Even if there was a file, Emily didn't strike her as the type of person who would have read it, "She failed and lost her life in the process." Alex didn't want to mention that she had been the one to stop her. Right now, that didn't really matter.

"You're sure she's returned?" Emily said.

"Yes," Alex said, "I talked to her personally. She confirmed that it was her."

"I see," Emily said, "Reviving the dead with magic is a serious offense. The only exception to that rule is if you use The Stone of Dreams or something, but it doesn't sound like that's what happened here."

"I don't think so either," Alex said, "My brother's the magic expert in our family and he thinks someone might have implanted her spirit an artificial body."

"That would explain the magical discharge I felt last year," she said, "That kind of spell would take a large amount of magical energy."

"So what do we do about it?" Alex asked.

"What do you mean 'we?' Emily asked in response, "I can't let you get involved in this."

"I may already be involved in it," Alex countered, "I think Stevie was brought back here because of me. But whatever the reason, I still want to help out."

"You're a civilian," Emily countered, "and whoever this person is, they're extremely dangerous."

"I can handle danger," Alex said, "I've faced enough of it in my own day."

"Fine," Emily said, "If you really want to help, I suppose I can't stop you. Now, onto the matter of the person's identity. Who knew the phone number to your dorm room?"

"Besides me, no one," she said, "Well, there is my brother, since I used the line in the dorm to call him, but he would never do this. Besides, he's all the way on the other side of the country."

"Then it has to be someone on the university staff," Emily said, confirming what Alex had thought earlier, "I think we should check over that list of yours thoroughly and see if any of the names on it match people who work here."

"All right," Alex said, "I have the list on the laptop in my dorm room." The two girls left the room and headed in the direction of Alex's room.

Emily Moon, an agent with the Wizard Investigation Agency. That complicated matters, but not too much. In fact, the criminal had suspected for a while that someone at the university was an agent, but hadn't been worried about it. The Agency's movements were largely unimportant. What _was_ important was that Alex was now awakening to her role in the criminal's plan. Soon the seeds that the criminal had sown would bear fruit and everything would go off without a hitch. All that was necessary now was to bring Stevie and Alex together one more time, which would be simple enough. The criminal terminated the scrying spell and flipped the on switch for the nearby desktop computer. Once the computer's startup sequence was complete, the criminal opened an e-mail client. This e-mail address was perfectly anonymous. Neither Stevie nor Alex would be able to use it to determine the identity of the sender. Secrecy was still important for a little while longer. The criminal couldn't be exposed until the final stage of the plan was in place. But first, this step had to be completed. And so, the criminal began to type an e-mail.

**A/N: Next chapter I'll be revealing the identity of the person behind everything. Last chance to try and figure it out.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"None of these names match members of the University staff," Emily said after going over the list, "Whoever it is, they're probably using an assumed name."

"Great, that's not going to make finding them very easy," Alex said.

"Unless they find you," Emily said suddenly, "Check it out. You've got an e-mail. Anonymous sender."

"What?" Alex asked, "Let me see." Emily moved over and allowed Alex to sit in front of the screen. Sure enough, the e-mail client was flashing, indicating that there was a new message. Alex clicked open the message. "Hello Alex," she read, "I wonder if you've figured out my identity yet. Well, either way I'm going to let you meet me. Come to the St. Ignatius Chapel at midnight. It will be open."

"It's obviously a trap of some kind," Emily said, "You shouldn't go."

"I have to," Alex said, "This person revived Stevie for a reason and I think this meeting has something to do with it. If there's any chance that Stevie will be there, I have to go there and talk to her."

"I know you two were friends once," Emily said, "But I also know that you're the one who stopped Stevie's revolution. That means she has a reason to hate you."

"You knew I did that?" Alex asked, surprised.

"It was in the Agency's file on Stevie," Emily confessed, "I knew you were a wizard from the moment I met you. I'm sorry I didn't say anything."

"No, it's all right," Alex said, "You were just keeping up your cover. But anyway, that's why I have to talk to Stevie. In a very real way, her death back then was my fault."

"I don't agree," Emily said, "It's true that you cast the freezing spell on her, but you never intended for her to get shattered like that. Besides, she should've known that her actions would have consequences. The wizard who forgets that basic truth is doomed."

"I suppose," Alex said, "But I still have to do this. There's no way of telling what the person who sent me that e-mail will do if I don't show up. They may hurt a member of my family, or even someone innocent. I can't let that happen."

"Fine," Emily said reluctantly, "I can see that you won't change your mind. But I'm going with you. I can't let you face someone this powerful by yourself."

"All right," Alex said, "But if Stevie shows up, I want this to be between me and her."

"I understand," Emily said, "It's a half an hour until midnight."

"It's that late?" Alex asked, shocked.

"We were going through names for quite a while," Emily said, "We should get ready to go there soon." The two girls grabbed their wands from the table and headed out of the dorm.

(Later at the St. Ignatius Chapel)

"I still have my doubts about this Alex," Emily was saying as the two wizards approached the chapel, "You really want to go in there alone?"

"Stevie is my responsibility," Alex said, "Besides, the person who wrote the e-mail said that they would be coming here. Just keep an eye out okay?"

"All right," Emily agreed reluctantly, "I know you feel strongly about this. Just try and be careful."  
"Don't worry," Alex said, "I will." She pushed open the door to the Chapel and walked inside. Stevie was standing in the center of the room.

"What are you doing here?" Stevie asked viciously, "I still don't want to see you."

"I came because I thought you might be here," Alex said, "I was hoping we could talk."

"Yeah right," Stevie answered, "No one brings a wand with them if all they want to do is talk." She pointed one finger at Alex and a bolt of energy shot out at her. Alex felt a spasm of pain in her side, but stayed on her feet.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Stevie," Alex said, "We were friends once, remember?"

"That was before you betrayed me," Stevie said coldly, "Before you _killed _me!"

"I never meant for that to happen," Alex said, "I was only trying to stop you from doing something I knew was wrong."

"Shut up!" Stevie yelled, "I don't want to hear your excuses!" She fired another bolt at Alex, who dropped to one knee from the pain.

"Please stop," Alex said, "I know you aren't really like this."

"You know I'm not really like this?" Stevie mocked, "Don't make me laugh. You thought I was evil back then too, didn't you? Now I'm supposed to believe you've changed your mind or something?"

"I never thought you were entirely evil," Alex said, "You broke up that fight between me and Justin because you didn't want to see us fall apart like you and Warren did. No one who was really evil would do that."

"Spare me the trip down memory lane Alex," Stevie said, "I'm not interested in anything other than revenge." She hit Alex with another shot.

"It feels good doesn't it Stevie?" a new voice said from behind Alex. Alex's eyes widened with recognition.

"Alice Harmon?" she asked, "You're the one who brought Stevie back?"

"That's right," the advisor said, "Of course, that isn't my real name. I made it up specifically just so I could blend in here."

"So you're the one who brought me back," Stevie asked with a smile, "Well, isn't that interesting. All this time I've been wondering who I should be thanking and I've been working in her office."

"Why don't you thank me after you complete your revenge, Stevie?" Alice said, "You may not know this, but I prepared your artificial body with a spell to take away another wizard's magical powers."

"You don't say," Stevie said, "Oh, this is going to be so perfect." She began to approach Alex, who was now too weak to move or even stand after so many consecutive shots.

"Wait," Alex said, "If I'm going to lose my powers, I feel like I should know why. What's your goal in doing all this, Alice?"

"I suppose I can tell you that much," Alice said, "My goal is immortality. You see, I'm somewhat of a magical body snatcher. I've been alive for many centuries."

"You steal people's bodies?" Alex asked, "That's horrible."

"You call it horrible, I call it survival," Alice said, "But you see, there's one small problem. Over the years, I've discovered that mortal bodies aren't meant to stand the release of magical energy. Using magic drains the body's natural energies. I only get a few years with each body. So it occurred to me, what if I made an artificial body that could use magic without harm and never age? I could use that one body forever and never need to change again."

"Then what did you need Stevie for?" Alex asked, "And why drag me into this?"

"Well, I guess you could say I had a problem," Alice said, "I couldn't transfer enough of my own power to the body to be able to use any significant magic. Then I found out you were coming to Seattle U. Imagine, a full wizard walking right into my own backyard. If I could use the body to absorb your powers, I would have all the energy I needed. But if I transferred my consciousness into the body as it was, I wouldn't have been able to keep up with you in a fight. I was wondering what to do when it occurred to me that I could use someone else to fight you. All I needed was someone who hated you enough to do the deed for me."

"And now you have someone like that," Stevie said, "So cut the storytelling and let me finish what I started." She looked down at Alex, who still couldn't move.

"Stevie, please don't do this," Alex said, trying one last effort to reach her former friend.

"This is it, I've drawn the line," Stevie said, her hands beginning to glow, "Now you're magic powers are mine." Her hands shot forward, but instead of grabbing Alex, she grabbed Alice Harmon and began to drain her.

"What?" Alice asked, "You betray me? After I went to all the trouble of bringing you back?"

"You only brought me back to use me," Stevie said evenly, "I'm nobody's tool for immortality. Your little game is over now."

"No!" Alice said, "I've been at this far too long! I'm not going down!"

"You don't have powers anymore," Stevie said, "Enjoy the rest of your life as a mortal." Stevie turned her attention away from Alice and hurried over to Alex. "Alex," she said, sounding worried now, "Are you all right? I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hit you so hard with those spells. Can you stand up?"

"I think so," Alex said, struggling to try and get to her feet.

"Here," Stevie said, "Let me help." She placed one arm under Alex's shoulders, allowing Alex to lean on her.

"Thanks," Alex said, "So all that was an act?"

"Something like that," Stevie said, "I actually was pretty angry at you the first time I saw you on campus, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that you were right to stop me back then. I wasn't thinking about the fairness of the wizard competitions, I was just thinking about not losing my powers. I was so selfish."

"So why did you have to keep up an act like that?" Alex asked, "I would have loved a chance to catch up with you."

"I wanted to know why I was brought back," Stevie said, "When I saw you, I thought it might have something to do with you. I didn't know what, but I guessed that whoever did it probably knew about our history and was hoping we would fight. I could sense that someone was watching me for a while and I thought that if I made them believe they were getting what they want, I would get to find out who it was."

"I guess it worked," Alex said, "I have to admit, you were pretty good. You had me completely fooled."

"Thank you," Stevie said, "I hope I didn't hurt you too bad."

Alex shook her head and smiled. "No, I'll be all right," she said, "I'm just glad it's over." Their conversation was interrupted when Emily Moon walked into the room.

"Is that the one who did everything?" she asked, looking at Alice Harmon.

"Yeah," Alex said, "She admitted it right in front of me."

"I see," Emily said and pointed her wand at Alice, who immediately disappeared, "I sent her to Agency headquarters. They'll know what to do with her."

"That's good," Stevie said, "So what happens to me now?"

"Well," Emily said, "Agency policy says that the products of illegal magic are to be destroyed."

"No!" Alex exclaimed, still leaning against Stevie, "You can't do that!"

"It's all right Alex," Stevie said, "It's not like I don't deserve it."

"You don't," Alex said emphatically, "You spared me and you helped bring a dangerous wizard to justice. That's more than enough to make up for the past."

"It doesn't matter anyway," Stevie said, "I'm not supposed to be here." She looked over at Emily. "Do whatever it is you have to do."

"Agent Moon," Alex said, "Please don't destroy Stevie. After what she did, she's earned a right to a second chance."

"I agree with you," Emily said with a smile, "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself Stevie. Don't worry. I'll smooth this over with the Agency."

"You'd really put yourself and your job at risk like that for me?" Stevie asked.

"Alex is right," she said, "You do deserve a second chance. I don't mind risking my job to give you one."

"Thank you," Stevie said with a smile.

"You know Stevie," Emily said, "Some of us go through our entire lives trying to find the people we call our true friends. You're really lucky to have one like Alex."

"Yeah," Stevie said, looking at Alex, "I know."

"Well, I'd better be getting back," Emily said, "My mission is over."

"Thanks Agent Moon," Alex said.

"No problem," Emily said, "But in the future, please call me Emily. I don't expect that I'll be Agent Moon much longer." With that, Agent Moon waved her wand and disappeared with a flash.

"She really is one of the good guys, huh?" Alex said with a grin.

"So are you," Stevie said, "Even when I was hurting you, you still believed I was good."

"Well," Alex said, "I'm glad I was right about that."

"I'd better get you to a hospital," Stevie said, "You need to be treated."

"How are we going to explain the injuries?" Alex said, "We can't tell a doctor we're wizards."

"I'll come up with something," Stevie said, "Come on, let's go." Alex still wasn't able to stand up on her own, so Stevie helped her walk out of the chapel.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

(Swedish Medical Center, 11th and Madison Street.)

It was the start of Alex's first official morning in the hospital. She had passed out on the way here and Stevie had practically carried her in. Apparently, having an artificial body had it's a advantages. Of course, given the sound of the commotion in the hallway, that advantage might quickly become a disadvantage for someone else.

"Listen," the nurse was saying, "I know you're the one who brought her in, but as I told you last night, she's in critical condition right now. I can't let you see her."

"Don't tell me that," Stevie said angrily, "I care about her. I want to see her."

"When a patient is in critical condition, they can only be visited by immediate family," the nurse said, "That's hospital policy."

"Nurse," Alex said, groaning a little and sitting up.

"Ms. Russo," the nurse said, hurrying over, "You should lay back down. You need to rest."

"Are you blind nurse?" Alex asked, "That's my sister. Let me see her, please." The nurse looked surprised and a little taken aback, but she nodded. She returned to Stevie and told her she could go see Alex.

"I don't know what you said to her," Stevie said with a laugh, "But nice work."

"Well, I figured since you went out of your way to bring me here, you deserved to be the first one to visit me," Alex said, "Especially after the way they kicked you out last night."

"Hey Alex," Stevie said, her voice suddenly droping a few octaves, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," Alex said, a little surprised, "What is it?" She was starting to feel concerned about Stevie, even though she was the one in the hospital. Stevie sounded like she was about to break down in tears for some reason.

"Well…umm…" Stevie said nervously, not being able to get her words out.

"It's all right," Alex said, reaching out and clasping Stevie's hand in her own, a gesture of comfort, "Whatever you want to ask, it's okay. Just take your time."

"Well," Stevie said slowly, "Do you think Warren will ever forgive me?" Alex paused for a moment at the question and the began to laugh. "Alex," Stevie protested, "It's not funny."

"I'm sorry," Alex said, still laughing, "But you're really worried about that?"

"Well yeah," Stevie said, "I mean, I may have been angry at him before, but he's still my brother. I want to try and make things right with him."

"He'll forgive you," Alex said, "All you have to do is make an honest apology."

"How can you be so sure?" Stevie asked.

"Because he's your family," Alex said, "Family forgives everything. Trust me, I'm an expert on that."

"The thought makes me a little nervous said," she said, "I don't have a lot of experience apologizing to others."

"Just say what you mean," Alex advised, "You can't go wrong with the truth."

"You make it sound so simple," Stevie said, "You really think it will be?"

"Definitely," Alex said, "Trust me. I've had a lot of experience apologizing to people. I've made it into an art." She laughed slightly.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Stevie said sincerely, "It really means a lot."

"It's nothing," Alex said, "I'll help you out in anyway you need."

"I think I can manage the apology," Stevie said, "But there is something else I wanted to tell you."

"Sure," Alex said, "Whatever you need to tell me, go ahead."

"Well, it's not easy to say," Stevie said, "But…well…I kind of have feelings for you Alex. There, I said it. You can laugh now."

Alex considered what she'd just heard before speaking. "I'm not going to laugh," she said with a smile, "Truth be told, I've kind of have feelings for you too." She gave Stevie a smile.

"Seriously?" Stevie said, "I thought for sure that you would laugh in my face. It sounded really stupid in my head."

"You shouldn't be so self-critical," Alex said, "And yes, seriously."

"Alex," Stevie said, her eyes beginning to well up with tears

"It's okay," Alex said, climbing carefully out of her hospital bad.

"Alex," Stevie said through her tears, "You shouldn't be getting out of bed."

"I'm fine," Alex said, walking closer to Stevie. She leaned in close and planted a soft kiss on Stevie's lips. She held it for a few seconds before pulling away.

"That was awesome," Stevie said, her voice coming out slightly breathless. She was still crying, so Alex carefully placed her arms around her.

"It's okay," Alex said again, smiling, "Cry as long as you need."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Justin Russo sat in his dorm room at the computer, watching the video Alex had sent him. She'd recorded this on her laptop's webcam and e-mailed it to him.

_"Hey Justin," _her voice said, _"I got out out of the hospital, so I thought I'd send you this. It's a recap of everything that happened. So, it turned out the person behind everything was the university advisor, Alice Harmon. Also, Emily Moon the R.A. turned out to be a wizard special agent. How about that huh?" _Justin couldn't help but chuckle at that. To think his list had uncovered a member of the Wizard Investigation Agency.

_"So, the good news in all this is that Stevie isn't evil anymore," _Alex said, _"In fact, she went to a great deal of trouble to lay a trap for the person who brought her back and she took me to the hospital to make up for the injuries she gave me." _Justin laughed. Stevie of all people turned out to be good. This year was just full of surprises.

_"So anyway, it's kind of a long story, but Agent Moon lost her job," _Alex said, _ "Apparently her not getting rid of Stevie didn't go over well with her superiors, so she's not working there right now. She decided that she would continue attending Seattle U. She wants to major in art. Guess her and I will being seeing a lot of each other. Anyway, Stevie and I were able to get room reassignment so now we're roomates. She's not here right now. I think she's in class right now." _The image on the screen looked down at her watch. _Speaking of class, I'd better wrap this up and get to my homework. Anyway, I have one last thing to say: If you see Warren, tell him that he should consider forgiving Stevie. She's really earned a second chance. Okay, that's all. Catch you later, Bro." _Alex waved goodbye and the screen went black. Justin chuckled and shut down the laptop. His sister was one amazing girl.

(End of Story)

**A/N: Just a little vignette to wrap things up. Now you know what happened to Agent Moon. That's really all there was to say.**


End file.
